Second Drafts | Patty Bee | Substack

No. Patty Wouldn't Leave Without Saying Goodbye

He forgot Australia, home, and what he ate for lunch. But not this.

19 hrs ago • Patty Bee

First They Save You. Then It’s Your Turn.

I thought my parents would always be the strong ones. I was wrong.

May 14 • Patty Bee

The Night We All Became Donna

Seven fishes, eight fishes, why it matters, and how maybe some us sometimes relate to Donna Berzatto

Apr 14 • Patty Bee

Just a Practical Man

Striped pajamas and moonlight over the Bronx

Mar 30 • Patty Bee

No One Tells You That Your Children Will Leave

Motherhood, love and worry, and the art of letting go

Feb 5 • Patty Bee

Recent posts

The Moms Are in Mourning

Jimmy Gracey was everyone's son, and we need to understand that bad things happen to boys too

Mar 21 • Patty Bee

The Year Death Introduced Itself

A friend’s car crash. Then 35 classmates on Flight 103. September 11. And then I helped my mother let go

Mar 11 • Patty Bee

Big Sur Dreaming

Stay with me, I said that afternoon on the beach at Garrapata

Feb 24 • Patty Bee

Double Crossed: Divorce Was Never Supposed to Happen to Us

Betrayals, silver linings and the beauty in nothing lasting forever

Jan 28 • Patty Bee

Red Slippers on a Winter Street

Lost on the street in 35-degrees, she reminded me of my mother and the fragility of memory

Jan 3 • Patty Bee

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Second drafts, second chances. I'm a writer and editor telling real stories about motherhood, divorce, empty nesting, relationships, and the beauty of starting over.

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